Guide to the Must See Christmas Activities in San Diego

Looking for a winter getaway in a warmer climate? San Diego offers the perfect mix of beaches, Christmas festivities and of course bike paths. Nearby Coronado is known for its gorgeous beaches and the famous Hotel del Coronado, but is also home to the Bayshore Bikeway.

We’ve been wanting to plan a trip to San Diego for a couple of years now. Our main focus was to bike the Pacific Coast Highway. But the following day we decided to bike to Coronado for some beach time. I was craving some sand and ocean after being surprised that downtown San Diego didn’t really have any beach access. So off we went in search of the surf!

We started our ride in the Gaslamp Quarter which is where the bike rental shop was located. We tried to avoid the busy Harbor Ave downtown as long as possible because there wasn’t a great bike lane. Instead we circled by the Petco Park baseball field to Imperial Ave, to National Ave and then took Cesar Chavez Parkway until it met up with E Harbor Drive. Honestly, this route was pretty sketchy. Although we headed out early to avoid the road traffic, we passed quite a few homeless people wandering the streets. I definitely wouldn’t recommend walking through this part of town, but I felt safe on a bike. Just watch out for glass on these streets.

Continue to follow Harbor Drive past the San Diego Naval Base until you take a right onto Tidelands Ave. Then after a left of W 32nd Street the Bayshore Bikeway finally begins near the Pier 32 Marina. The first 6 miles of the ride until the bike path officially starts is not super fun. It’s all street biking and although the majority of the road does have a dedicated bike lane, It’s a very industrial part of town.There was also road construction happening when we were there, so the bike lanes were even less desirable. 

I had high hopes that the views would vastly improve once we joined the Bayshore Bikeway. Sadly I was wrong. Despite the name, there are no water views for about 8 more miles as the trail is largely inland. There is one section where the bike path ends at Stella Street and you have to take a frontage road for less than a mile before meeting back up with the Bayshore Bikeway. Then finally (4 miles past the frontage road) you finally get to see the ocean! The Pacific Ocean is on your left with all the sand beaches and San Diego Bay is on your right.

Keep an eye out for Silver Strand State Beach if you want to take a swimming pitstop. The Naval Amphibious Base will be on your right and shortly after you’ll pass Glorietta Park. We stopped at this park to kayak out to the Coronado Bridge. You also get great views of the nearby golf course.

This section of the trail is definitely the premier section of the ride. Perfectly flat and smooth, great views of the water and much easier to navigate than the on-road sections. The only downside is that it is very busy. Cyclists fly on this trail so beware if you’re turning on or off the trail and do not stop in the middle of the path. We witnessed one near collision!

Continue to follow the Bikeway to its end near the Coronado Tennis Center. It then transitions to a bike lane on Glorietta Blvd. The streets of Coronado are not very busy, so you can easily go off the main road a couple blocks to avoid the traffic. The Bikeway then restarts at the intersection of Glorietta and 5th street. It snakes around the golf course, under the Coronado Bridge and along the outer edge of Coronado Island to the ferry terminal.

However, we didn’t follow the remainder of the bike path. We wanted to explore the Hotel del Coronado and the downtown shops before heading over to the ferry. We stopped for lunch and, of course, ice cream before heading down to the beautiful sandy beaches. After playing some paddle ball and enjoying the sunshine, we saddled back up to head back to San Diego.

Coronado is broken up into two different sections of the town on opposite sides of the island. Nearby Hotel del Coronado has a downtown feel with lots of shops and restaurants. Then next to the ferry terminal there is another cluster of shops and restaurants. Two miles of residential neighborhoods separated the two so we were happy to have our bikes to quicken the trip.

Take the 15 minute ferry ride back to San Diego which lands at the convention center. Tickets are $9 for a one-way ride. Overall I was a little disappointed in the bike ride. After riding the Pacific Coast Highway the day before, I had higher hopes for scenery. I would recommend starting with taking the ferry over to Coronado and riding the 13 miles of bike path and then just turning around instead of completing the loop. The street biking out of San Diego was through a very industrial and sometimes sketchy part of town. This would make it a tricky trip with kids. 

This holiday festival attracts 350,000 visitors each year. This two-day event takes place on the first Friday and Saturday annually at Balboa Park which is one of the premier public parks in the World. The 1200 acre park has a little for everyone including 18 museums, gardens and is home to the San Diego Zoo. For December Nights, the park is transformed into a Christmas wonderland with over 100 food vendors, live performances, free admission to the museums and Christmas trees everywhere. 

The park is absolutely packed with people and parking is impossible. We biked to the event and they do offer a free bike valet. The downside is that the ride is all uphill to get up the park. There is every type of cuisine and food imaginable but lines for food are incredibly long, but I did have the best fresh made churro I’ve ever had. We actually ended up eating after the event due to waiting times. Honestly, the crowds made the event a little difficult to enjoy, but it was worth experiencing. However, if you’re short on time skip this event and check out one below instead.

I would recommend visiting the park before the event starts. The park was empty and we could really enjoy the park’s Christmas decor before the crowds arrived and scout out which museums we wanted to visit. Don’t miss the Grinch themed tree, walking Palm Canyon (I would do this before dark) and Santa’s sleigh and his reindeer.

This was one of our favorite, unique Christmas activities. This aircraft carrier is covered in lights for the holiday season. All the different types of aircrafts on the flight decks are lit up, there’s a dance floor and drinks available. The holiday theme continues to the remaining floors of the ship all the way to the galley. If exploring this museum was on your agenda, wait until dusk to enjoy this new twist!

The first Saturday night in December is the annual Christmas tree lighting in the neighborhood of Little Italy. There is also a small craft fair on India Street between W Cedar and W Grape Streets. The lighting of the 25-foot permanent tree is generally around 6:30pm. I enjoyed the glass tree at the Piazza Basilone (621 W Fir St) better. This tree is equally beautiful during the day and at night. The 25-foot nutcrackers are a must see as well. Don’t miss out on enjoying an authentic pasta dish while you’re in the neighborhood.

The lighting of the 85 foot tree at Coronado was truly spectacular. The holiday parade starts at 6pm on the first Friday in December and runs down Orange Ave, which is the main street of Coronado. Don’t miss the hot chocolate stands, the gorgeous poinsettia tree outside Hotel del Coronado and the hotel’s outdoor light show. There are also beach igloos, a skating rink by the ocean and beautiful Christmas decorations inside the hotel lobby. I highly recommend visiting Coronado at night, even if not during the holiday parade, to experience all the fun.

As a Montana girl, I’m used to seeing Christmas trees buried in snow. So I made it my mission to find as many beachside trees as I could. My favorites included Ocean Beach’s crooked tree with its surf theme decor and Crystal Pier at Pacific Beach. The pier would have been more magical with its lights at night, but still worth a stop.